Superintendent Sharon Contreras’ proposal to create a “Syracuse Latin” school in the city, where selected high-achieving students would be given an accelerated, “classical” education, is receiving some positive reactions so far.

But parents and teachers are waiting for further details on the plan. Contreras and Chief Academic Officer Laura Kelley have pointed to some examples of Latin schools around the country, but have not provide a lot of specific details about how a school in Syracuse would look.

Even so, school board President Stephen Swift said he is “very excited” about the potential for the school.

“I think the ability to provide something that’s unique ... that actually will draw people to the city similar to Say Yes, is excellent,” he said. “I think you need to provide options to people, and this is the start of options.”

Susan Fahey Glisson, president of Parents for Public Schools of Syracuse, said the school could be “the turning point we need” to improve the district, depending on how it is implemented. However, she said her group sees large class sizes and discipline problems to be more pressing issues for the district.

Likewise, Syracuse Teachers Association President Kevin Ahern said the Latin school sounds good, because parents need choices. But he said establishing effective programs for struggling and disruptive students would be his top priority.

“What has to be done is develop alternative programs with the same kind of thoughtfulness and enthusiasm that we’re seeing with these other ideas,” he said.

But if Syracuse goes ahead with a Latin school -- and the school board may give its go-ahead next month -- what would the school be like?

In a presentation to the school board last week, Kelley pointed to four Latin schools around the country as examples of what the district is exploring.

Of the four schools, only one – the Latin School of Chicago – serves elementary-age children, as Syracuse wants to do. Contreras has proposed phasing in a K-5 school over several years at what is now Percy Hughes School at 345 Jamesville Ave., and then considering opening a 6-12 school in a second location.

The schools Kelley pointed to as examples are all different -- but they have significant common elements. Here’s a quick look:

Boston Latin

Kelley says all true Latin schools in the United States are modeled after Boston Latin School.

The school, founded in 1635, bills itself as the oldest school in America. It serves children in grades 7 through 12.

In a report released last week, U.S. News and World Report ranked it as the 57th best high school in the country. The ratings were drawn from calculations based on student performance on state tests and on Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams, factoring in the percentage of economically disadvantaged students in each school.

Boston Latin is part of Boston’s public school district, but it is selective, accepting students who excel on the Independent Schools Entrance Exam – a three-hour multiple choice test -- and who earn high grades in math and English classes.

Its website says students are expected to do “hours of homework every night.” They are also expected to do summer reading and math work and are tested on the work when they return to school in September.

And they are expected to complete at least 100 hours of community service during their high school years.

Beyond the core subjects, the school requires four years of Latin and four years of a modern foreign language.

The school boasts that some alumni “are now multi-millionaires, government officials, and even Hollywood actors!”

Brooklyn Latin

Brooklyn Latin opened in 2006 after New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the creation of seven new selective high schools. It was modeled closely after Boston Latin.

The high school’s test scores were high enough for it to rank 21st in the country and the best in New York state in the U.S. News rankings – above Boston Latin.

Since its founding, the school has narrowed its admissions standards to focus on an eighth-grade test. The reliance on a single test – which Syracuse officials say they would avoid – has contributed to somewhat less gender and racial diversity at the school, The New York Times and Daily News have reported.

Contreras said a Syracuse Latin school would look at a number of factors in selecting children for admission. A "gifted" program operated in Syracuse relied on a standardized admissions test in the late 1980s, and its enrollment was far less diverse than the district as a whole. When the standards for admission were broadened to cover a number of criteria, the program became far more diverse.

Brooklyn Latin's website says students are expected to spend three hours a night on homework.

Like other Latin schools, Brooklyn Latin emphasizes writing, public speaking, community service and strict discipline.

The school, more so than Boston Latin, is filled with Latin phrases and regalia. It requires a uniform “whose purple accents reflect the color worn by Roman nobility.”

“Instead of teachers teaching students, at The Brooklyn Latin School magistri teach discipuli,” its website says. “Students do not change classes by walking through the halls, they file through the atria."

The school holds “Socratic seminars” in which students lead the way by asking thoughtful and provocative questions.

Latin School of Chicago

The school, founded in 1888, is not a public school. It is an independent, pre-K-12 complex of three buildings. K-4 tuition is $24,825, although some financial aid is available.

The school says it focuses on “experiential learning,” with students engaging in “role playing, simulations, lab work, or exploration outside the classroom.”

At the K-4 level, children do not receive grades. Teachers send detailed reports on the kindergartener’s progress at the end of the school year. Reports are sent home twice a year for kids in grades 1 through 4, and there are two parent-teacher conferences about each child during the school year.

Like other Latin schools, it puts a premium on community service outside of school.

Washington Latin

Washington Latin is a public school, but unlike the proposed Syracuse school it is a charter school within the district. It opened as a 5-7 school in 2006, then added a grade a year to become a 5-12 school.

The school says it values Socratic seminars and student-led discussions in the classroom. But, its website says, “we also are not reluctant to use the old-fashioned methods of drill and memorization.”

Students chant vocabulary words and multiplication tables, for instance, and memorize poetry and prose that they like. “What is learned by heart becomes part of one’s deepest self,” its website says.